Thursday, October 15, 2015

Chicken Yakitori Skewers

For me, it's always exciting to learn and try to cook different kind of food. It may come from different country, different culture or using different cooking method.

I opened my old recipe book 'Asian Appetizers', page by page... just for watering my mind with their beautiful food photos, and I stuck on a page where a picture of yakitori looks so tempting. My eyes quickly scrolled down the ingredient list... yes! All of them are available in my fridge and in my kitchen cupboard.
Checking the method... oh, it's pretty similar with making sate.

In the evening, a bunch of chicken yakitori were ready on our dining table.
hmm... not for the appetizer, but as one of our dinner side dish.

I got the recipe from an appetizer recipe book, but I think it's not wrong if we eat it as side dish like normally we serve and eat sate. What do you think?
Then... I managed to find out more about yakitori.

Yakitori (焼き鳥) are grilled chicken skewers made from bite sized pieces of meat from all different parts of the chicken, such as the breasts, thighs, skin, liver and other innards. Usually made to order and cooked over charcoal, yakitori is a popular, inexpensive dish commonly enjoyed together with a glass of beer. The best yakitori is served at specialty restaurants, known as yakitori-ya, but it can also be found at many other types of restaurants across Japan, such as izakaya, and at festival food stands. Source :Japan-Guide

Learning more about yakitori, I found out that actually there are many variants of yakitori, and they're classified by the type of chicken that is used.
The popular one is Negima.

Negima(ねぎま) is one of the most popular types of yakitori and consists of pieces of chicken (usually thigh meat) skewered with pieces of leek in between.

So.. yeahhh... based on that classification, my homemade yakitori can be named as negima.
Other variants are Momo, Tsukene, Torikawa, Tebasaki, Rebo, Nankotsu and also there are some variants of non-chicken or vegetarian yakitori. You can find out more information in the Japan-Guide website.
Trust me, it's very interesting.

...Facts about Yakitori

Yakitori is an inexpensive and informal food that is easily found at specialized yakitori-ya.

They are sold by the stick or a set of two sticks, and cost around 100-200 yen per stick.

Many restaurants also offer combination plates with multiple types of yakitori (moriawase).

When ordering yakitori, you usually can choose whether you want your skewers seasoned with a sweet and savory yakitori sauce (tare) or with salt (shio).

Yakitori is meant to be eaten with your hands. You may directly eat them off the skewer or use your chopsticks to remove the meat from the skewer before consuming it.

1. Place the soy sauce, sake, sugar, ginger and chives in a screw-top jar and shake well to mix.
2. Trim the chicken breasts of any fat and membranes and cut into bite-sized cubes, about 1.5 inches (4 cm). Place the chicken cubes in a shallow glass or ceramic dish, pour the marinade over the cubes, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat a broiler (grill) or charcoal grill. Drain the chicken and thread the cubes onto skewers alternately with the green onions. Brush with the olive oil and cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side.

Friday, October 09, 2015

Chili Con Carne

Two months ago, at the end part of my 'camping story' post I wrote that I would share some easy camping food recipes. Some recipes have become our favorite and we're waiting for it on the next camping ground.

Camping doesn't mean we only eat instant noodle or other unhealthy instant food. There are so many simple healthy food can be cooked at the camping ground. Some of the ingredients can be prepared at home to make the cooking process easier and for sure... less dirty cooking equipment to take care of.

One bowl dish, where we can throw the ingredients in one pan is my favorite choice. I can survive to cook in the camping ground with only one pan, one wooden spoon, a knife and a small cutting board.

Chili Con Carne
is a spicy stew containing chili peppers, meat, and often tomatoes and beans. Other seasonings may include garlic, onions, and cumin. I like to add steamed corn kernel to give more color, flavor and texture to the dish. We enjoy it with baked potato or tortilla chips. This menu is a must to cook during our camping, we love it!

Not familiar with Chili Con Carne? hopefully this explanation from wikipedia can help you;

In Spanish, the word chile from the Nahuatl "chīlli" refers to a “chili pepper”, and carne is Spanish for “meat”. The original recipe consisted of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers and salt, which were pounded together, formed into bricks and left to dry, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail.

I share the easy, simple Chili recipe that is not hard to make in the camping ground. But yes... you can make it for your dinner at home, or as healthy snack for watching TV.

Method :
1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon.

2. Stir in the tomato purée, fresh chili or chili flakes, cumin, and oregano. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.

3. Add the kidney beans, corn kernel and fresh coriander. Cook for a further ten minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary.
It can be served with rice, guacamole, sour cream or green salad. Or, tortilla chips for snacking.